Tim tries to sing and strums broken guitars, Mike croons from behind a dusty kit, Sam twists sub feed from a borrowed bass guitar, Danny drools silk and play guitar.
http://a22.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/97/m_87ad4415d1932ba931b99714f3c36115.jpg" />Here is one of the things that you can buy, if you like that kind of thing. It's called 'Sounds of the rhubarb triangle' and features The Ballad Of Ruseel San Diego, by us, who are called Lapels (and not The Lapels, or something. Anyway, it costs three pounds, one of which will go to the samaritans. It's 2008. Charity starts on paypal.
"When I say War, you say Hol. War!.........c'mooon".
Pop songs. Danced to, kissed to, jesus some people even make babies to these things. No matter how 'existencial' and 'enlightening' your brothers post-rock-brit-electronica-indie-progressive-punk band is, there is something endearing, nay, essencial about a good pop song. Even better however, are those pop songs that harbour the very spirit of that dancing, that kissing, and that....baby making. From common people to another girl another planet, pop songs are the soundtrack to one million jilted dances, lonley kisses and...you get it. Lapels are a terrifying and beautiful collage of passive nihalism and slakerdom. Pop culture is raped, mutated, then tucked between the verbs, song by song. Lapels write songs about intergalatic pink panzer troopes hunting dead pop artists. Odes to lost time travellers. Nods to beat poets, and hymns for bus stops. Lapels write songs about love and time travel. And really, what else is there?
"I like to think I listen to a wide variety of music, from the mainest of mainstream to the most underground of local bands. As such, a lot of music just washes over me without making any real impression. It takes the most exceptional of music to really stir up any kind of emotional response in me. Lapels certainly inspire such a response.
Emotions like rage. Pure, unadulterated rage that I have wasted precious minutes of my life listening to this utter drivel. Rage tempered with a sense of melancholy that someone has seen something marketable in this abortion of a record, and at the fact that they will probably have heavy rotation on Scuzz for about a week then fade into obscurity.
Crap, crap crap. Stupid song titles too"
0 out of 10
by Will Slater.
On the face of it Wakefield four-piece Lapels are a fairly standard indie-rock band. The scuzzy guitars and downbeat vocals are nothing we haven't heard before. Perhaps this is what prompted one reviewer (the aptly named Will Slater) to write "Utter drivel ... crap, crap crap. Stupid song titles too. 0 out of 10"
Perhaps I'm listening to something different, because I happen to think Lapels are rather brilliant. The laissez faire delivery of 'Painted Skeletons' is captivating in a way that perhaps only Let's Wrestle could better. Even more impressive is the unusual structure of the song. Lapels have thrown the normal indie song-structure out the window and gone with something much more interesting. Pavement always seemed pretty good at that, but they were often self indulgent and this isn't.
'Last Great Civilisation' is deservedly granted double a-side status and like 'Painted Skeletons' is a thoughtful, compelling piece of songwriting. And neither has a stupid title.
8 Out Of 10
Lobster Quadrill Magazine
Hello folks, just a little spam for ya. Thing's are pretty hectic at Please Please You this month as you can see!
Sat. July 5th. Her Name Is Calla, Glissando + Oh Wow, Meow!, The Basement, York, 8pm. £5.
GLISSANDO New album 'With Our Arms Wide Open We March Towards the Burning Sea' out now.
"it plays like a majestic dream. And it's one you'll never want towake up from" NME
"Low meets Mogwai, only with fragments of Regina Spektor at her mostrestrained. Exceptional. " RockFood 5/5
HER NAME IS CALLA New mini-album 'The Heritage' out now. "...there can be no denying that Her Name Is Calla are one of the most daring,unconventional bands the UK has to offer right now. For that alone weshould all be exceedingly thankful. " Drowned In Sound 8/10
"...this is the most agitated and obsessive I've been about an album all year. It has ruined my work-habits and destroyed my deadlines. And that, I think, is exactly what art should do.
Whisperin & Hollerin 8/10"
Tues. July 22nd. Ballboy, Les Cox Sportifs + Over The Atlantic, The Basement, York, 8pm. £5adv.
Also, I'm very excited to announce a special PPY party at The Duchess in York. Canadian psych, country, garage, surf (!?) outfit The Sadies will be performing one of eight UK shows in October. An exceptional live band that played the third ever PPY show in 2006 we are delighted to have them back.
Sat. 25th Oct. The Sadies + The Federals, The Duchess, York, 7.30pm. £10adv.
Glissando and Her Name is Calla tour their brand new records released recently on Gizeh.
GLISSANDO New album 'With Our Arms Wide Open We March Towards the Burning Sea' out now.
"it plays like a majestic dream. And it's one you'll never want towake up from" NME
"Low meets Mogwai, only with fragments of Regina Spektor at her most restrained. Exceptional." RockFood 5/5
HER NAME IS CALLA New mini-album 'The Heritage' out now.
"...there can be no denying that Her Name Is Calla are one of the most daring, unconventional bands the UK has to offer right now. For that alone we should all be exceedingly thankful." Drowned In Sound 8/10
"...this is the most agitated and obsessive I've been about an album all year. It has ruined my work-habits and destroyed my deadlines. And that, I think, is exactly what art should do. Whisperin & Hollerin 8/10
Then come watch these crazy loons reek havoc in The Basement on Wednesday Jun 18th. Double keyboard and double drumer assault that defies belief. Drowned In Sound faves, one of few northern dates, only a fiver!
The mighty Fist Full Of Yen and Steve Watson in support.
Koen Holtkamp is no stranger to producing beautiful music. Expect layers of warm organic noise and found sound combine to make pieces that are both gorgeously minimalistic and endlessly deep. He's making the trip over from New York to celebrate the launch of his new album on Type records, and you'd be a fool to miss him!
Gorgeously organic music that washes over you and through you - the best of all ambient music understands the importance of holding back, of understatement, of beauty - Pausal achieve this, and more. Stunning stuff for a night of pure sonic bliss.
Forest of Sound's favourite one man laptop genius, randomNumber, comes back to regale us with his excellent and deeply inventive brand of electronica. There's a reason that he's so energetic in his performance - his music is brilliant. Simple. As.
A Forest of Sound presentation. It’ll be £5 on the door, and doors are at 8pm.
Let's just start by apologising for this "automatic comment" thing. We know it's annoying when bands you've never heard of spam your myspace.
However, this isn't meant to be spam. This is just a humble invite for you to come to our myspace, have a listen to the music and leave us some feedback? We'd really appreciate it, and we'll always reply to you.
Hope to hear from you soon (if we haven't already)
"When I say War, you say Hol. War!.........c'mooon".
Pop songs. Danced to, kissed to, jesus some people even make babies to these things. No matter how 'existencial' and 'enlightening' your brothers post-rock-brit-electronica-indie-progressive-punk band is, there is something endearing, nay, essencial about a good pop song. Even better however, are those pop songs that harbour the very spirit of that dancing, that kissing, and that....baby making. From common people to another girl another planet, pop songs are the soundtrack to one million jilted dances, lonley kisses and...you get it. Lapels are a terrifying and beautiful collage of passive nihalism and slakerdom. Pop culture is raped, mutated, then tucked between the verbs, song by song. Lapels write songs about intergalatic pink panzer troopes hunting dead pop artists. Odes to lost time travellers. Nods to beat poets, and hymns for bus stops. Lapels write songs about love and time travel. And really, what else is there?
